MANILA, Philippines—A Court of Appeals Associate Justice inhibited himself from handling the petition filed by Janet Lim-Napoles regarding the arrest warrant issued against her after his name was dragged into the pork barrel controversy.

Associate Justice Danton Q. Bueser, in a statement, said he is inhibiting from the case to erase “any doubt and speculation in the mind of the public which could affect the dignity of the court and my credibility as a magistrate.”

Bueser is a former representative from Laguna whose name was included in the Commission on Audit report as among the lawmakers who transferred their priority development assistance fund (PDAF) to questionable non-government organizations.

Based on the COA report, Bueser allegedly allocated P9.6 million to the Philippine Environment and Economic Development Association (PEEDA) and P9.8 million to the Aaron Foundation Philippines.

Bueser said “to the best of my knowledge, I have not made any endorsements to these organizations, much less transacted business with these entities.”

He said he is willing to cooperate with the National Bureau of Investigation adding that he believed his signature was falsified.

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